BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


•4 


Publications  of  the  Civil-Service  Reform  Association 

No.  4 


CIVIL-SERVICE  REFORM 


NEW  YORK   CUSTOM-HOUSE 


WILLARD  BROWN 


NEW   YORK 
PUBLISHED    FOR    THE 

CIVIL-SERVICE  REFORM  ASSOCIATION 

BY 

G.    P.    PUTNAM'S    SONS 
1882 


^ 


i 


TJu  Civil-Service  Reform  Association, 
Publications  and  Documents  now  ready  (Jan.,  1882). 

PUBLICATIONS. 

I.    Purposes  of  the  Civil-Service  Reform  Association,  including 
its  constitution.     Per  copy,  10  cts.     Per  100,  .  .   $2  75 

II.  The  Beg^inning  of  the  Spoils  System  in  the  National  Gov- 
ernment, 1829-30.  (Reprinted,  by  permission,  from  Parton's 
"  Life  of  Andrew  Jackson.")     Per  copy,  10  cts.     Pei  100,       $300 

III.  The  Spoils  System  and  Civil-Service  Refoj  ti  in  the  Custom- 

House  and  Post-Office  at  New  York.     By  Dorman  B.  Eaton. 
136  pages,  Svo.       Per  copy,  50  cts.       Per  100,  .  $25  00 

IV.  Civil-Service  Reform  in  the  New  York  Custom-House.      By 

WiLLARD  Brown.     Per  copy,  5  cts.     Per  100.  .  $3  00 


itom- 

;  Sec- 
^2  25 
made 
leton, 
;veral 
•com- 

52  50 
ition. 

53  00 


St  of 
50 
50 

.75 

IN    PREPARATION. 

A  History  of  the  Spoils  System.     By  Geo.  Wm.  Curtis. 

The   Effect   of  the   Spoils    System   on    Party  Nominations.      By 

Horace  White. 
Political  Assessments.     By  A.  R.  Macdonough. 
The  Objection  to  the  Reform  that  it  would  produce  an  Aristocracy 

of  Office-Holders.     By  E.  L.  Godkin. 

Other  publications  will  follow. 

[Donations  for  the  general  purposes  of  the  Association  are  requested.  Checks 
should  be  drawn  to  order  of  John  C.  Eno,  Treasurer,  and  addressed  to  William  Potts, 
Secretary,  44  Pine  Street,  New  York  City.] 

Orders  for  the  publications  will  be  filled  by  the  Secretary,  or  by 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  Publishers  for  the  Society, 

27  and  29  West  Twenty-Third  Street,  New  York. 


Publications  of  the  Civil-Service  Reform  Association 

No.  4 


CIVIL-SERVICE  REFORM 


NEW  YORK    CUSTOM-HOUSE 


WILLARD  BROWN 


NEW   YORK 

PUBLISHED    FOR    THE 

CIVIL-SERVICE  REFORM  ASSOCIATION 

BY 

G.    P.    PUTNAM'S    SONS 
1882 


X 


■ANCROFT  LIBRARY 

CIVIL-SERVICE    REFORM 

IN  THE 

NEW     YORK     CUSTOM-HOUSE. 

*'  A  LTHOUGH  the  system  of  appointment  by  competitive 
J~^  examination  in  the  New  York  Custom-House  has  been 
an  experiment  and  is  by  no  means  perfect,  it  has  worked  wonders. 
The  increase  of  emulation  and  efficiency  in  the  clerks  has  been  re- 
markable ;  so  eager  are  they  to  improve  and  advance,  that  at 
present  they  often  learn  as  much  in  one  year  as  they  learned  un- 
der the  old  system  in  six  years.  The  clerks  have  more  indepen- 
dence and  self-respect  than  formerly  ;  they  are  less  cringing,  and 
this  year,  for  the  first  time  in  my  recollection,  they  openly  re- 
belled against  political  assessments.  If  I  had  had  the  utmost 
freedom  of  appointment  I  could  not  have  chosen  better  men  than 
those  who  have  obtained  positions  under  the  system  of  competitive 
examinations.  In  fact,  in  order  to  have  obtained  men  equal  to 
the  present  officers,  I  should  have  had  to  resort  to  the  present 
method."  Such  are  the  remarks  of  Naval  Officer  Burt  on  the 
success  of  competitive  examinations  in  the  New  York  Custom- 
House. 

The  present  system  began  under  the  order  of  March  6,  1879, 
and  up  to  August  i,  1881,  1,077  applicants  had  been  examined, 
and  177  had  secured  appointments.  Under  the  rule  of  patron- 
age, men  were  often  appointed  who  were  totally  unfit  to  fulfil  their 
official  duties.  Clerks  would  sometimes  absent  themselves  from 
the  custom-house  for  weeks,  nominally  to  work  up  their  election 
district,  actually  to  "  loaf  "  and  dissipate  ;  even  in  the  custom- 


4  CIVIL    SERVICE, 

house  they  had  been  seen  in  a  helpless  state  of  intoxication.  If 
they  were  discharged  they  had  only  to  use  their  political  influence 
to  be  re-instated.  With  such  influence  behind  him  an  officer  was 
inclined  to  be  insubordinate  and  insolent ;  without  it,  he  became 
servile,  and  the  consequence  was  the  loss  of  discipline  and  self- 
respect  throughout  the  department.  At  present,  however,  a  clerk 
who  enters  the  Custom- House,  having  been  successful,  in  an  open 
examination  over  all  competitors,  knows  that  he  has  to  thank  him- 
self alone  for  his  position,  and  that  the  least  insubordination  or 
lack  of  duty  will  cause  his  dismissal.  Consequently  there  exist 
among  the  clerks  ability,  independence,  and  discipline. 

Collector  Robertson,  of  the  New  York  Custom-House,  says : 
"When  I  first  entered  on  the  duties  of  the  collectorship  it  was 
with  the  intention  of  having  some  method  of  appointment  which 
would  give  the  ablest  and  most  efficient  subordinate  officers  to 
my  department.  I  was  not  more  in  favor  of  appointment  by  com- 
petitive examination  than  of  any  other  system.  T  soon  found, 
however,  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  ^o  attend  to  the 
regular  business  of  my  office  and  at  the  same  time  personally 
examine  the  merits  of  the  multitude  of  candidates  for  positions. 
Some  system  of  examination  was  necessary,  and,  as  I  informed  a 
committee  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  I  determined 
to  give  trial  to  the  existing  system  of  competitive  examinations. 
In  that  view  I  have  made  my  appointments  from  candidates  who 
have  obtained  the  highest  rank  in  the  examinations.  I  have 
made  only  four  removals,  and  these  were  on  account  of  intoxi- 
cation of  officers  during  business  hours.  Appointment  by  com- 
petitive examinations  is  the  best  method  which  I  am  at  present 
aware  of,  and  that  method  I  shall  favor  until  a  better  one  is  shown 
me. 

Promotions  are  based  on  competitive  examinations  and  on  past 
record  ;  emulation,  therefore,  spurs  on  the  officers  to  a  degree  of 
industry  and  patience  which  is  remarkable  for  employees.  The 
officers  who  were  appointed  through  patronage  have  been  forced  on- 
ward by  those  who  have  entered  through  the  competitive  examina- 


CIVIL    SERVICE.  5 

tions  ;  they  fear  the  ability  and  ambition  of  the  new  element,  and 
while  they  sometimes  growl  and  rebel  they  are  obliged  to  keep  up 
with  the  pace  of  excellence  which  now  obtains.  Our  merchants  have 
testified  to  the  improvement  in  the  efficiency  and  politeness  of  the 
Custom-House  officers,  and  a  delegation  from  the  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce  recently  waited  on  the  Collector  and  made 
a  formal  request  that  the  method  of  appointment  by  competitive 
examinations  should  be  continued.  The  present  system  is  by  no 
means  perfect,  and  it  has  received  the  opposition,  both  open  and 
secret,  of  high  officials  ;  but  it  has  worked  so  well  in  comparison 
with  the  system  of  patronage  that  it  may  be  called  a  remarkable 
success. 

Mr.  John  M.  Comstock,  Deputy  Naval  Officer  and  Recording 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Examiners  in  the  New  York  Custom- 
House,  says  :  "  As  an  experiment  the  competitive  examinations 
ha.ve  been  eminently  successful.  We  have  had  only  local  exami- 
ners ;  we  have  had  the  benefit  of  no  perfected  system  ;  we  have 
been  hampered  in  our  action  ;  yet  the  improvements  in  conse- 
quence of  the  examinations  have  astonished  us.  The  new  clerks 
are  abler  men  than  those  who  were  appointed  under  the  old 
regime  ;  they  are  more  ambitious  to  rise,  and  their  example  has 
acted  as  a  leaven  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  whole  depart- 
ment. The  new  system  has  made  the  officers  more  efficient  and 
manly,  and  has  raised  the  moral  tone  of  the  whole  force.  1  do 
not  wish  it  to  be  inferred  that  excellent  men  have  not  entered  the 
service  under  the  old  system  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  the  entrance 
of  such  men  must  be  regarded  as  the  result  of  accident." 

At  present  there  are  1,213  public  servants  in  the  Custom-House, 
with  salaries  amounting  to  $1,795,885  per  annum.  1,077  of  these, 
with  salaries  amounting  to  $1,680,150,  are  appointed  on  competi- 
tive examinations.  In  the  remaining  1*36,  are  comprised  the  col- 
lector, deputy  collectors,  naval  officer,  deputy  naval  officers,  sur- 
veyor, appraisers,  engineers,  ushers,  laborers,  etc.  The  following 
is  the  list  of  officers  who  were  under  the  examination  rules  in 
October,  1880. 


CIVIL   SERVICE. 


ADMISSION   ONLY. 

PROMOTION   ONLY. 

Inspectors                  .         320 

Inspectresses         .         .        8 

Night  inspectors        .         118 

Store-keepers        •         .       70 

Measurers  of  vessels 

6 

Weighers               .... 

4 

Weighers'  foremen  . 

6 

Weighers'  assistants      .       75 

Gangers 

3 

Gangers'  assistants     .         11 

Officers         ...       97         . 

.  201 

Clerks,  surveyor's  office        3     . 

18 

Clerks,  naval  office         .21 

.     52 



723  290 

Total 1,013. 

The  examinations  are  in  charge  of  the  Examining  Board,  which 
consists  of  Gen.  N.  G.  Williams,  Deputy  Collector ;  Mr.  John  M. 
Comstock,  Deputy  Naval  Officer  ;  and  Mr.  J.  L.  Livingston,  for 
the  surveyor.  Mr.  H.  W.  Gourley  is  the  acting  Secretary.  Any 
person  not  legally  disqualified  for  appointment  may  be  examined 
for  admission,  on  written  application  to  the  collector  or  naval 
officer.  Regular  admission  examinations  are  held  quarterly, 
with  intermediate  ones  when  necessary.  Sixty  persons,  on  the 
average,  apply  at  each  admission  examination,  which  lasts  from 
9  A.  M.  until  4  p.  M.  Each  applicant  is  designated  by  a  number, 
and  his  name  is  known  only  to  the  secretary  of  the  board  ;  under 
that  number  his  papers  are  examined  and  his  rank  is  determined. 
The  names  of  the  applicants  are  made  known  to  the  board  after 
the  standing  of  each  is  determined.  The  board  sends  to  the  col- 
lector, naval  officer,  or  surveyor,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  highest 
names  on  the  list,  and  from  these  the  appointments  are  made. 
Some  discretion  is  usually  given  to  the  appointing  power  ;  thus,  if 


CIVIL   SERVICE.  7 

one  office  is  to  be  filled,  the  three  highest  names  are  sent  in.  Al- 
most invariably,  however,  he  who  obtains  the  highest  rank  receives 
the  appointment. 

Those  who  stand  high  in  one  examination,  but  who  fail  to  ob- 
tain an  appointment,  are  carried  over  to  find  their  appropriate 
rank  in  the  next  list  of  applicants.  Thus,  a  person  who  has  failed 
to  obtain  an  appointment  on  one  examination,  may,  without  fur- 
ther trial,  receive  an  appointment  some  months  later.  Examples 
of  several  examinations  are  given  below  : 


Date. 

Number 
examined. 

Salary  of 
office. 

Number 
appointed. 

Highest  and 

lowest  mark  of 

those 

appointed. 

26th  examination 

For  admission 

Jan.  6,  1880 

60 

$1,200 

9 

91.90,      83.98 

40th  examination 

For  admission 

July  8,  1880 

35 

1,200 

10 

93.41,      86.89 

53d  examination 

For  admission 

July  14,  1881 

73 

1,200 

6 

93.21,      83.80 

30th  examination 

For  promotion 

Feb.  19, 1880 

5 

2,000 

3 

90.09,      86.10 

33d  examination 

1,400 

For  promotion 

M'ch25,i88o 

13 

and 
1,600 

7 

87.64,      75.70 

56th  examination 

■ 

For  promotion 

Oct.  18,  1881 

10 

1,600 

I 

91. II. 

The  officers  are  divided  into  grades  represented  by  salaries  of 
$1,200,  $1,400,  $1,600,  $1,800,  and  $2,000.  No  officer  can  be 
promoted  unless  he  obtains  the  minimum,  or  75  per  cent,  of  the 
maximum  work.  If,  however,  a  high  grade  clerk  receives  the 
minimum  mark  he  takes  precedence  over  a  clerk  of  lower  grade, 
although  the  latter  may  receive  the  higher  rank.     For  example,  if 


8 


CIVIL    SERVICE, 


a  $1,200  and  an  $1,800  clerk  compete  for  a  $2,000  position,  and 
both  receive  at  least  the  minimum  mark,  the  latter,  even  if  lower 
in  rank  in  the  examination,  obtains  the  appointment ;  while 
the  former  is  promoted  to  the  $1,800  clerkship  just  vacated. 
This  system  of  promotion  has  been  found  by  experience  to  be 
advantageous. 

The  examination  papers  are  determined  upon  the  day  before, 
and  are  printed  the  night  before,  the  examination.  The  utmost 
impartiality  guides  the  action  of  the  board  ;  a  high  official  in  the 
custom  house,  who  recently  desired  to  know  the  examination 
number  of  a  certain  applicant,  was  informed  by  the  secretary  of 
the  board  that  such  information  was  against  the  rules. 

Great  praise  is  due  the  members  of  the  board  for  the  conscien- 
tious care  and  patience  with  which  they  have  administered  their 
duties.  Although  their  work  has  at  times  been  arduous  they  have 
received  no  compensation  for  it.  Justice  demands  that  they  should 
be  paid  a  suitable  salary. 

The  marking  has  become  so  systematized  that  nine  tenths  of  it 
is  a  mere  mathematical  process.  '  The  scale  of  marks  for  admission 
is  as  follows  : 


SUBJECTS. 

Dictation  (including  orthography) 
u   C  Notation  and  numeration  ) 

'%   1  Addition         .         .         .         .      j     * 
%  \  Fractions     ..... 
■t.     Applied  Problems  )  ... 

^   (^Accounts      .         •  f      . 

Geography,  history,  and  government 

Grammar — syntax 

Letter  and  brief        .... 

Penmanship  .... 

Time 

General  average  of  previous  marks 

Total  .... 


RELATIVE  WEIGHT. 


300 

• 

500 

, 

200 

100 

100 

.  300 

. 

200 

.  400 

2,500 


Within  a  week  after  the  examination  each  candidate  is  informed 


CIVIL    SERVICE.  9 

of  his  mark  and  standing.  His  papers,  which  are  placed  upon 
file,  can  be  reviewed  by  him  at  any  time  in  the  presence  of  the 
examiners,  and  if,  in  his  opinion,  he  has  been  unjustly  treated,  he 
can  appeal  to  the  Board  of  Revision,  which  consists  of  the  collector, 
naval  officer,  and  surveyor.  The  successful  candidates  are  placed 
on  trial  in  the  Custom-House,  and  if,  at  the  end  of  six  months' 
probation,  they  receive  the  recommendations  of  the  heads  of  their 
departments,  they  obtain  regular  appointments.  *  This  six-months' 
probation  is  thus  made  the  test  of  faithfulness,  energy,  and  prac- 
tical ability. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  questions  in  a  recent  admission 
examination  : 

What  is  the  sum  of 

307  millionths, 
56^  ten-thousandths, 
68^  hundredths. 
5  hundred-thousandths. 
256^  tenths, 
18^  ten-millionths, 
375  units. 
At    $0,125    P^^   pound,  how  much   sugar  can   be   bought    for 
$6,255? 

An  invoice  of  railway  bars  specifies  3,622  bars,  127  feet  long, 
weighing  60  pounds  to  the  yard.  What  will  the  duty  amount  to 
at  the  rate  of  70  cents  per  hundred  pounds  ? 

A  certain  invoice  amounting  to  £,Z^^  8s.  3d.  is  subject  to  a  dis- 
count oi  lY-z  per  cent.  What  is  the  payable  amount  in  United 
States  currency,  the  ^  sterling  being  worth  $4.8665  ? 

What  bodies  of  water  and  of  land  separate  the  United  States 
from  South  America  ? 

Name  the  five  important  battles  of  the  rebellion. 
In  what  does  treason  against  the  United  States  consist  ? 
In  grammar.     Correct  the  following  sentences : 
A  ship  sails  splendid. 
His  time  as  well  as  his  money  were  lost. 
It  was  arranged  between  he  and  I. 


lO  CIVIL    SERVICE. 

Letter. — Describe  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  same  general  subjects  are  embraced  in  the  promotion  as  in 
the  admission  examinations,  but  the  latter  are  more  technical  and 
difficult ;  in  promotion,  also,  past  record  is  a  very  important  item. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  "  custom "  questions  in  the  pro- 
motion examination  of  March  29,  1881. 

1.  What  department  of  the  customs  first  assumes  charge  of  ves- 
sels arriving  from  foreign  ports  ? 

2.  What  kind  of  papers  authorizes  the  discharge  and  delivery 
of  cargoes  of  merchandise  ? 

3.  What  disposition  is  made  of  unclaimed  goods  ? 

4.  Explain  the  difference  between  "  bonded  warehouses," 
"general  order  stores,"  and  "appraisers'  stores." 

5.  In  which  division  of  the  Custom-House  are  duties  first  esti- 
mated, and  in  which  finally  adjusted  ? 

6.  What  are  the  duties  and  objects  of  the  weighers'  depart- 
ment ? 

7.  What  is  done  with  goods  fraudulently  imported  in  violation 
of  the  revenue  laws  ? 

8.  What  is  the  "  manifest"  of  a  vessel  ? 

Letter. — Describe  your  duties  in  the  position  now  held  by  you, 
and  state  their  relations  to  the  whole  course  of  business  in  the 
Custom-House,  explaining  as  far  as  possible  the  nature  and  pur- 
pose of  such  papers  and  accounts  as  come  before  you. 

The  system  is  new  and  examination  questions  are,  therefore, 
not  always  as  perfect  as  they  might  be.  In  promotions,  for  in- 
stance, too  much  attention  has  been  given  to  general  and  too 
little  to  technical  knowledge.  To  remedy  this,  not  only  will  the 
papers  henceforth  be  made  more  technical,  but  past  record,  which 
at  presents  counts  one  fifth,  will  probably,  in  the  future,  count 
much  more. 

The  admission  examinations  secure  the  entrance  into  the  ser- 
vice of  able  men  ;  the  promotion  examinations  render  the  em- 
ployees painstaking,  progressive,  and  ambitious.  Up  to  August 
I,  1881,  197  persons  had  been  examined  for  promotion,  and  72 


CIVIL    SERVICE.  II 

had  been  successful.  It  is  a  striking  fact  that  those  who  entered 
under  the  new  rules  have  succeeded  best  in  the  promotion  examina- 
tions. Although,  on  the  average,  they  have  constituted  only  ten 
per  cent,  of  those  who  were  at  liberty  to  compete  with  them,  they 
have  yet  obtained  seventy  per  cent,  of  the  total  promotions  in  the 
service,  or  seven  times  as  many  as  they  were  entitled  to  by  their 
numbers.  In  other  words,  those  who  entered  under  the  system 
of  patronage,  although  having  the  advantages  of  long  experience, 
and  being  on  the  average  ten  times  as  numerous  as  those  who 
entered  under  the  examination  system,  were  still  unable  in  the 
competitive  examinations  to  obtain  one  third  of  the  total  promo- 
tions. This  fact  alone  speaks  volumes  for  the  efficiency  of  those 
who  have  entered  under  the  new  system. 

The  questions  to  answer  now  are  :  What  class  of  men  have  en- 
tered the  service  under  the  system  of  examinations  ?  Are  they 
mere  book-worms  ?  Have  they  energy  and  practical  capacity  ? 
Are  they  industrious,  trustworthy,  and  obedient  ?  The  perusal 
of  the  following  table  will  answer  some  of  these  questions. 

The  charge  has  been  often  made  that  the  examination  is  favor- 
able to  young  men  who  have  just  graduated  from  school  or 
college  ;  but  the  facts  are  that  the  most  successful  candidates 
have  been  men  between  the  years  of  thirty  and  thirty-nine,  and  that 
men  between  forty  and  forty-five  have  been  more  successful  than 
those  between  twenty-five  and  twenty-nine,  and  equal  nearly  to 
those  under  twenty-five.  Naturally  those  above  forty-five  have 
not  fared  so  well.  The  great  complaint  of  the  examiners  is  that 
the  men  who  enter  the  service  are  too  old  ;  men  above  thirty-five 
are  not  always  sufficiently  facile,  and  often  find  difficulty  in  adapt- 
ing themselves  to  the  routine  work  of  their  offices. 

The  great  fault  which  our  business  men  find  with  the  examina- 
tions is  usually  in  the  questions  on  geography,  history,  and 
government :  these  questions,  they  say,  are  adapted  for  school- 
boys and  not  for  men  of  the  world.  But  it  is  curious  to  observe, 
that,  on  these  questions,  applicants  above  thirty  have  been  far 
more  successful  than  those  below  that  age. 


12 


CIVIL   SERVICE. 


•32bI3AV 

?; 

CO 

O 

CO 

r^ 

■8- 

en 

c^ 

O 

CO 

en 

en 

|Ba3U3Q 

Tj- 

o 

CO 

,_J 

N 

O 

O 

't 

en 

O 

■^ 

t^ 

o 

o 

O 

vO 

aj 

CO 

in 

vO 

vO 

I^ 

o 

m 

•apmudv 

o 

in 

^ 

s 

en 

O 

CO 

in 

o 

in 

v^ 

o 

IBjauao 

CO 

o 

CO 

o 

s 

O 

in 

>n 

O 

R 

:S 

o 

in 

in 

o 

en 

„ 

en 

O 

t^ 

M 

M 

t^ 

in 

CO 

c<-) 

•4 

O 

o 

-<1- 

r^ 

en 

rl- 

r^ 

i-> 

•31UTJL 

<> 

M 

C> 

d 

co' 

N 

en 

d 

d^ 

-i- 

•^ 

•^ 

CO 

en 

en 

't 

'^ 

en 

en 

en 

en 

'^ 

■^ 

en 

M 

en 

en 

M 

o 

o 

r^ 

en 

r^ 

en 

O 

in 

•diqsuBiuuaj; 

r^ 

en 

CO 

vd 

en 

r-N 

00 
•4 

d^ 

oo 

O 
in 

en 

1^ 

t^ 

r^ 

r^ 

CO 

CO 

t^ 

r^ 

r^ 

oo 

t-^ 

t^ 

o 

CO 

c^ 

■!t 

en 

o 

r^ 

M 

O 

O 

r^ 

M 

m 

T}- 

m 

en 

W 

Ti- 

o 

in 

o 

•j3«aT 

.CO 

d 

J 

o 

in 

in 

-^ 

r-^ 

ON 

4 

in 

in 

m 

r^ 

in 

r^ 

r^ 

in 

in 

in 

o 

in 

in 

r^ 

r^ 

r^ 

rt 

en 

O 

O 

"^■ 

en 

<N 

•xBjuXs 

q 
1-^ 

CO 

d 

m' 

C4 

en 

CO 

in 

O 
ci 

d^ 

in 

m 

d^ 

o 
ci 

en 

q 

in 

o 

oo 

i^ 

vO 

r-> 

CO 

o 

O 

vO 

t^ 

vO 

O 

'}U3UIUa3 

in 

w 

o 

N 

N 

o 

o 

•+ 

Cl 

r^ 

o 

-AOO   pUB   'i(jO; 

& 

d» 

<N 

^ 

d 

ci 

d 

en 

vd 

'^ 

in 

-sin'^M^BaSoaf) 

vO 

vC 

vO 

o 

r^ 

oo 

o 

o 

o 

vO 

o 

O 

o 

CO 

o 

e^ 

rf 

in 

r-« 

in 

-t 

in 

00 

•opauiiniJV 

in 

in 

in 

CO 

vO 

en 

M 

r^ 

in 

^' 

in 

pai^ddy 

in 

oo 

in 

O 
CO 

O 

in 

-r 

in 

M 

in 

in 

o 

o 

en 

(N 

CO 

i-i 

M 

in 

o 

en 

O 

O 

o> 

vO 

\0 

in 

M 

o 

en 

rr 

en 

o 

•suoqomj; 

d 

CO 

in 

co' 

■4 

oo 

ci 

o 

co' 

en 

en 

in 

o 

^ 

in 

CO 

OO 

en 

o 

in 

in 

in 

en 

N 

O 

rt- 

O 

in 

M 

O 

O 

CO 

c^ 

Tt 

vO 

r^ 

in 

en 

N 

'^t- 

'^ 

l^ 

o 

•uopippv 

N 

M 

en 

o 

O 

o 

o 

r>- 

M 

en 

vO 

CO 

1-^ 

o 

o 

r^ 

in 

CO 

oo 

r^ 

o 

in 

' 

o 

in 

OO 

o 

CO 

in 

r~- 

rt 

oo 

M 

Tf 

en 

•uoijBjainn^ 

in 

en 

c^ 

t^ 

en 

w 

o 

c< 

m 

CO 

pUB  UOp-BJONJ 

CO 

CO 

s 

^ 

a> 

en 

CJ 

CO 

in 

O 

s 

m 

^ 

^ 

o 

CI 

CO 

r^ 

Tf 

o 

•uohb;oicI  ui 

I^ 

CO 

in 

■^^ 

en 

M 

CO 

M 

en 

s>[.iBui  aSmsAV 

in 

o 

CO 

en 

CO 
CO 

oo 

CO 

CO 

en 

oo 

S- 

•asqxunjsj; 

i^ 
r^ 

e^ 

en 
en 

2 

in 

en 

CI 

■* 

O 

CO 

^ 

8 

en 

oo 

O 

M 

XI 

o 

.9 

.2 

o 

o 

< 

"tJO 

1 

^n 

d 

: 

: 

: 

1 
s 

(U 

C 

1 

1 

3 

a 
o 

= 

- 

S2 

«3 

<u 

R 

s^, 

-fi 

^ 

s 

^ 

-1- 

S 

1 

« 

8 

u 

1 

I? 

'a, 

1 

in 

o 

in 

o 

o 

in 

a. 

A 

^ 

^ 

o 

3 

,^ 

3 

-s 

1 

o 

^ 

^ 

^ 

^ 

S 

^ 

C 
ID 

' 

- 

< 

CIVIL   SERVICE.  13 

General  aptitude  was  determined  by  age,  previous  experience, 
business  knowledge,  time  of  performing  the  examination,  and 
general  appearance  of  work.  In  estimating  the  marks  for  age, 
95  per  cent,  were  given  to  candidates  between  18  and  24  years,  88 
to  those  between  25  and  30,  100  to  those  between  31  and  40,  95  to 
those  between  41  and  45,  and  so  on.  This  was  deemed  to  give 
an  unfair  advantage  to  men  between  31  and  40,  so  that  at  present 
all  men  between  the  years  of  18  and  45  (the  limit  between  which 
applicants  are  now  allowed  to  try,)  compete  on  equal  terms. 
"General  average  of  previous  marks"  has  taken  the  place  of 
"general  aptitude,"  and  young  men  can  now  enter  the  examina- 
tions without  being  handicapped.  ■ancroft  l-.brarv 

In  marking  the  candidates  in  respect  to  "  time,"  two  hundred 
marks  are  given  to  all  who  finish  by  twelve  o'clock,  and  a  cer- 
tain per  cent,  is  deducted  for  every  twenty  minutes  after  that 
time,  up  to  the  end  of  the  examination.  It  has  been  charged 
also  that  this  "  time  estimate  "  was  unjust  to  middle-aged  men, 
who  are  supposed  to  be  less  fresh  in  examination  practice  ;  but 
on  inspection  of  the  table,  it  will  be  found  that  "  time  "  has  been 
one  chief  cause  of  the  success  of  men  between  thirty  and  forty- 
five.  In  arithmetic,  which  is  one  of  the  most  practical  tests,  the 
young  men  seem  to  have  fared  best.  It  is  apparent,  therefore, 
that  the  critics  of  the  examination  system  have  been  unjust  to 
our  young  men.  The  latter  have  failed  mainly  in  the  subjects 
which  the  critics  have  claimed  were  especially  adapted  to  them  ; 
and  the  very  facts  which  have  been  brought  forward  to  show  that 
young  men  alone  could  enter  the  service,  have  been  found  to 
militate  severely  against  them.  Had  the  suggestions  of  these 
critics  been  carried  out,  there  would  have  been  at  present  more 
young  men  in  the  service. 

With  regard  to  the  education  of  the  applicants,  six  classes 
have  been  made.  Applicants  educated  at  the  New  York  Free 
Academy  have  been  so  signally  successful,  that  they  have  been 
placed  in  a  distinct  class.  It  is  seen  that  those  who  have  received 
academic,  collegiate,  and  special  technological  education  have  had 


14 


CIVIL   SERVICE. 


an  advantage  over  those  who  have  been  educated  in  free  schools 
and  business  colleges.  Naturally  superiority  of  education  should 
have  an  advantage  in  admission  examinations.  It  is  an  indica- 
tion that  with  the  continuance  of  the  examination  system,  a 
superior  class  of  men  will  enter  our  public  service.  Some 
opponents  of  Civil-Service  Reform  maintain  that  the  system  of 
competitive  examinations  "  gives  priority  to  college  men."  If 
such  men  prove  to  be  the  best  civil  servants  it  is  for  the  interest 
of  the  country  to  obtain  them.  The  following  table,  however, 
will  dispel  any  fear  that  our  public  service  will  be  filled  with 
college  graduates  : 

RECORD  OF  APPLICANTS  AND  APPOINTEES,  UNDER  THE  EXAMINA- 
TION SYSTEM,  IN  THE  NEW  YORK  CUSTOM-HOUSE,  UP  TO  AND 
INCLUDING  THE  48TH  EXAMINATION,  FEB.   I,   1881. 


Number 
examined. 

Number 
appointed. 

Per  cent.of 
appoint- 
ees      to 
number 
of  appli- 
cants. 

Per      cent,     of 
appointees  in 
each  class  to 
whole     num- 
ber    appoint- 
ed. 

Educated  at  schools,   etc., 
supported    wholly   by 
public  taxation    . 

Educated  at  academies 

"  colleges  .       . 

490 
191 

50 

74 

41 

8 

^5- 
22. 
16. 

60.10 

3333 
6.50 

Total 

731 

123 

In  the  first  class  are  included  many  who  had  received  a  very 
defective  education,  like  those,  for  example,  who  ''  left  school 
when  ten  years  old,"  or  "  attended  district  school  during  two 
winters."  Nevertheless  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  appointees  have 
been  educated  in  free  schools,  and  only  six  and  one  half  per  cent, 
have  been  educated  in  colleges.  Those  educated  in  academies 
have  succeeded, /r^  rata^  better  than  the  college  men.     In  view 


CIVIL   SERVICE.  15 

of  these  facts,  instead  of  fearing  that  a  dehige  of  college  men 
would  be  poured  into  our  civil  service,  under  the  examination 
system,  we  should  rather  desire  that  the  number  of  college  men 
who  obtain  appointments  under  that  system  should  be  greatly 
increased. 

By  far  the  larger  number  of  applicants  have  received  only  a 
common-school  education.  If,  now,  the  system  of  entrance  into 
the  civil  service  by  examination  were  made  universal,  thousands 
would  enter  the  public  schools  with  the  intention  of  fitting  them- 
selves for  the  service  ;  and  this  fact  would  naturally  act  as  a 
stimulant  to  render  those  schools  more  efficient. 

As  regards  the  personal  qualities  of  the  men  who  have  entered 
under  the  examination  system,  the  most  encouraging  reports  have 
been  given  by  the  heads  of  departments.  The  new  men  have 
more  energy,  practical  ability,  industry,  trustworthiness,  and  obe- 
dience than  have  been  shown  by  those  who  entered  under  the 
system  of  patronage.  It  is  true  that  all  the  qualities  of  a  man 
cannot  be  discovered  by  a  written  examination,  but  the  six- 
months'  probation  is  as  important  a  test  as  the  examination.  The 
successful  candidate  is  placed  on  trial  for  six  months  :  if  he 
shows  the  requisite  qualities  of  fitness,  he  receives  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  head  of  his  department,  and,  consequently,  a 
final  appointment  ;  but  without  this  recommendation  his  salary 
ceases.  Of  the  177  men  who  have  been  successful  in  the  admis- 
sion examinations,  fifteen  have  failed  to  receive  appointments, 
mainly  on  account  of  intemperate  habits.  The  six-months'  pro- 
bationary trial  is  the  answer  to  President  Arthur's  objection  that 
the  examination  does  not  test  an  applicant's  energy,  practical 
ability,  and  trustworthiness.  The  examination  is  the  best  test  of 
those  qualifications  which  can  be  discovered  without  a  long  trial. 
Under  the  patronage  system  the  appointing  power  cannot  dis- 
cover a  man's  practical  ability,  obedience,  and  force  of  character 
until  he  has  tried  him.  To  rely  on  the  recommendations  of  an 
applicant's  friends,  is  to  rely  on  the  weakest  evidence.  If  a  man 
is  found  to  be  abler  than  any  of  his  competitors  in  penmanship. 


1 6  CIVIL   SERVICE. 

arithmetic,  general  knowledge,  and  speed  in  turning  off  work, 
he  is  not  liable  to  be  less  industrious,  efficient,  obedient,  and 
trustworthy  than  those  who  are  inferior  to  him  in  those  re- 
quirements. In  truth,  is  it  not  probable  that  a  man  who  is  in- 
dustrious, earnest,  careful,  and  able  for  his  own  interest,  in  the 
examinations,  will  be  so  for  his  employer  ?  It  is  true  that  we  can- 
not be  sure  of  obtaining  the  most  trustworthy,  energetic,  or  prac- 
tical men.  Very  probably  there  are  among  the  fifty-seven  who 
are  unsuccessful,  three  men  who  have  more  energy  and  practical 
capacity  than  the  three  who  are  successful.  But  by  what  system 
can  we  better  discover  the  necessary  qualifications  ?  The  exam- 
ination system  is  not  perfect,  but  it  is  the  best  which  has  yet  been 
discovered.  When  a  superior  system  is  brought  forward,  it  will 
receive  the  support  of  all  civil-service  reformers. 

Competitive  examinations  give  the  broadest  field  for  choosing 
the  ablest  men  in  the  requisite  educational  qualifications.  Now,  it 
is  for  the  interest  of  the  successful  candidates  to  be  faithful  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties.  This  fact  will  be  clearer  to  a  clever, 
than  to  a  dull  man  ;  and  as  those  who  are  successful  in  the  ex- 
aminations are  clever  men,  they  are  more  liable  than  their  less 
able  competitors  to  be  faithful  clerks. 

To  examine  carefully  all  the  applicants  for  positions  would  oc- 
cupy the  whole  time  of  the  collector  or  naval  officer,  and  he  could 
not  then  be  sure  of  obtaining  men  whose  educational  qualifica- 
tions equal  those  of  the  present  appointees, 

A  prominent  politician  has  declared  that,  under  the  present 
system,  neither  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  nor  George  Law  could  have 
obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  New  York  Custom-House,  as  neither 
of  these  gentlemen  could  write  legibly  or  spell  correctly.  Such 
men  as  Vanderbilt  and  Law  we  do  not  wish  for  custom-house  offi- 
cers. It  is  better  for  the  country  and  for  the  service  that  they 
should  be  in  private  business.  But  we  do  want  officers  who  can 
both  write  and  spell.  It  is  objected  that  neither  business  men 
nor  managers  of  large  corporations  appoint  employees  by  com- 
petitive examinations.     It  should  be  remembered  that  they  are 


CIVIL   SERVICE.  17 

not  subject  to  the  intense  conflict  of  influence  which  is  exerted 
by  friends  of  applicants  on  the  appointive  power  under  the  sys- 
tem of  patronage.  Men  at  the  head  of  large  private  concerns 
have  usually  a  pecuniary  interest  in  appointing  efficient  employees  ; 
but  in  government  positions  the  appointive  power  often  obtains 
more  advantage  in  bestowing  offices  upon  his  friends  than  in 
wisely  and  economically  performing  the  duties  of  his  office.  But 
aside  from  this  argument,  large  corporations  are  gradually  adopt- 
ing competitive  examinations  as  a  means  of  entrance  into  their 
service.  The  Bank  of  England,  the  London  and  Westminster  Bank, 
and  the  Spottswoode  Printing-House  of  London  have  long  used 
the  examination  system  with  success.  The  street-railway  conduc- 
tors in  most  of  our  large  cities  are  obliged  to  pass  an  examination 
before  they  obtain  positions,  and  as  our  corporations  increase  in 
size  and  become  better  organized,  examinations  therein  will  doubt- 
less become  more  frequent. 

It  seems  fitting  here  to  give  due  credit  to  the  man  who  has  been 
the  chief  cause  of  the  success  of  the  reform  in  the  New  York 
Custom-House — to  Naval  Officer  Burt.  As  early  as  187 1,  while 
Deputy  Naval  Officer,  Colonel  Burt  first  tried  the  examinations 
in  reorganizing  the  naval  office.  Since  that  day  he  has  worked 
for  the  success  of  the  system  with  a  courage,  persistency,  and 
ardor,  that  is  an  anomaly  in  our  public  officers.  Although  opposed 
and  hampered,  secretly  and  openly,  by  his  subordinates  and  su- 
periors, he  has  rigidly  persisted  in  carrying  out  this  reform  at  the 
risk  of  his  official  position.  It  has  been  a  source  of  wonder  that 
so  ardent  and  sincere  a  reformer  could  have  held  his  position  so 
long ;  but  he  has  won  the  respect  and  admiration  not  only  of  the 
advocates,  but  also  of  the  opponents  of  the  system,  and  under  his 
management  the  naval  office  has  been  pointed  out  as  a  model  de- 
partment in  our  civil  service.  Mr.  John  M.  Comstock,  Deputy 
Naval  Officer,  has  ably  assisted  Col.  Burt  in  the  reform,  Mr. 
Comstock's  enthusiasm,  patience,  and  industry,  have  greatly  assisted 
the  success  of  the  examinations. 

Ten  years  ago   routine  clerks  in  the  custom-house  acted  tow- 


1 8  CIVIL    SERVICE, 

ard  the  appointive  powers  with  the  cringing  servility  of  serfs  tow- 
ard their  masters.  If  an  employee  became  interested  in  his 
official  work,  and  thereby  neglected  the  political  work  of  his  dis- 
trict, a  delegation  would  soon  wait  on  the  naval  officer  or  collec- 
tor, and  force  him  to  discharge  the  efficient  employee  and  bestow 
the  office  on  some  active  ward  politician.  Now,  on  the  contrary, 
the  employees  while  they  are  respectful  toward  their  superiors 
have  at  the  same  time  manly  independence. 

Applicants  are  not  questioned  concerning  their  political  prefer- 
ences ;  Democrats,  therefore,  as  well  as  Republicans  have  received 
appointments.  Indeed  some  clerks  have  complained  because 
Democrats  have  been  taken  into  the  service. 

Hitherto  it  has  been  possible  to  make  temporary  appointments 
of  three  months,  without  an  examination  ;  and  by  this  means 
the  appointive  powers  in  the  custom-house  have  at  times  sought 
to  evade  the  examination  rules,  and  to  appoint  their  political 
friends  to  office.  But  temporary  appointments  have  now  ceased, 
and  if  the  custom-house  authorities  continue  to  do  their  duty, 
political  power  can  have  no  influence  in  appointment  to  routine 
positions. 

Civil- service  reform  will  not  make  all  men  honest  in  politics, 
but  it  will  give  less  opportunity  for  unscrupulous  demagogues  to 
profit  by  the  indolence  of  the  better  elements  in  the  community. 
It  is  asserted  that  it  is  idle  to  suppose  that  patronage  can  be  elimi- 
nated from  our  politics,  especially  in  this  selfish  age.  The  re- 
formers deny  the  assertion,  and  are  seeking  to  rouse  all  patriotic 
citizens  to  the  denial  by  their  votes.  As  England  has  done,  so 
can  we  do.  If  we  cannot  entirely  eliminate  patronage,  we  can  at 
least  so  limit  its  influence  that  its  evils  will  be  trifling  in  compari- 
son with  those  existing  at  present.  Had  any  civil-service  reformer 
dared,  a  year  ago,  to  predict  such  an  extraordinary  increase  in  the 
reform  movement  as  has  occurred  during  the  past  year,  he  might 
well  have  been  deemed  wild.  The  National  Civil-Service  Reform 
League  has  been  recently  formed,  and  every  week  witnesses  an 
accession  to  the  League  of  some  prominent  association.     New 


CIVIL    SERVICE.  19 

York,  Philadelphia,  Boston  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  Baltimore,  San 
Francisco,  and  nearly  every  prominent  city  in  the  country  has  its 
association,  which  is  composed  of  the  most  prominent  and 
wealthy  citizens  in  each  locality.  The  reform  has  been  shown  to 
be  practicable  ;  it  has  already  seized  upon  the  public  mind,  and 
already  wise  politicians  are  seeing  the  necessity  of  bending  to  its 
views.  President  Arthur  has  exceeded  all  his  predecessors  in 
office  in  the  boldness  with  which  he  has  advocated  specific  meas- 
ures of  reform  ;  and  yet  he  had  not  been  considered  to  be  in 
favor  of  the  movement.  In  his  present  stand,  however,  he 
should  receive  the  support  of  all  civil-service  reformers. 

The  reform  is  fast  coming ;  it  will  soon  be  more  than  an  ex- 
periment, and  our  politicians  should  guide  themselves  accord- 
ingly. 


Civil- Sej^vice  Befomn 


In  regard  to  the  effects  of  the  present "  spoils  "  system  In  our  Civil 
Service,  JAMES  A.  GARFIELD  wrote  in  1877: 

"  The  present  system  invades  the  independence  of  the  Executive  and  makes  him 
less  responsible  for  the  character  of  his  appointments  ;  it  impairs  the  efficiency  of  the 
legislator  by  diverting  him  fiom  his  proper  sphere  of  duty  and  involving  him  in  the 
intrigues  of  aspirants  for  office  ;  it  degrades  the  Civil  Service  itself  by  destroying  the 
personal  independence  of  those  who  are  appointed  ;  it  repels  from  the  service  those 
high  and  manly  qualities  which  are  so  necessary  to  a  pure  and  efficient  administration; 
and,  finally,  it  debauches  the  public  mind  by  holding  up  public  office  as  the  reward  of 
mere  party  zeal." 

How  can  these  evils  be  remedied  ?  By  admitting  applicants  to  subordinate 
offices  in  our  Civil  Service  on  competitive  examinations  which  shall  best  test  those 
qualities  required  in  the  office  to  be  filled.  This  system  will  give  to  every  person, 
whether  he  be  Democrat  or  Republican,  an  equal  right  to  enter  the  public  service  •  it 
will  give  to  our  government  the  wisest  and  best  choice  of  servants  ;  it  will  break  the 
power  of  patronage  and  cause  subordinate  offices  to  be  given  for  approved  merit  and 
not  for  ability  in  controlling  votes. 

What  will  be  the  effects  of  this  reform  ?  it  will  apply  only  to  the  subordi- 
nate and  clerical  officers  of  the  government— those  whose  duties  have  no  necessary 
connection  with  the  policy  of  the  Administration.  In  1879  there  were  78,180  such  sub- 
ordinate officers  on  the  rolls  of  the  national  government,  whose  combined  salaries 
amounted  to  §38.772,943.  Most  of  these  officers  are  clerks,  and  under  the  reform 
would  be  appointed  by  competitive  examination.  Under  the  "spoils"  system  these 
78,180  offices  can  be  used  by  the  party  in  power  to  perpetuate  its  hold  upon  the  gov- 
ernment, and  can  be  held  out  by  all  political  parties  as  bribes  to  voters.  But  this 
$38,772,943  represents  only  a  portion  of  the  "spoils"  fund  of  the  national  govern- 
ment.-  there  is  the  fund  of  our  States  and  cities  to  be  added.  In  New  York  City  there 
are  7,802  persons  employed,  not  counting  teachers  and  laborers,  whose  salaries  amount 
to  $8,000,000  annually.  Consider  the  immense  "spoils"  fund  in  our  national,  state, 
and  city  governments,  which  is  now  used  to  bribe  voters,  and  which  will  be  swept 
away  by  the  system  of  competitive  examinations.  Is  it  not  true  that  the  "spoils" 
system  causes  principles  to  be  forgotten  and  political  parties  to  be  merely  machines 
for  obtaining  and  holding  office  ? 

Is  the  reform  practicable?  in  England  it  has  succeeded  and  has  given  the 
Civil  Service  more  manly,  industrious,  and  efficient  servants.  The  Bank  of  England, 
the  London  and  Westminster  Bank,  the  Spottiswoode  printing-house  of  London,  and 
other  great  corporations,  have  tried  the  examination  system  with  signal  advantage. 
But  an  example  of  the  success  of  the  reform  has  been  given  in  our  own  country.  At 
present  seventy-six  per  cent,  of  the  appointments  in  the  New  York  Custom-House  are 
made  by  competitive  examination,  and  if  a  man  proves  himself  the  ablest  applicant, 
he  may  obtain  a  position,  be  he  Democrat  or  Republican. 

The  Civil-Service  Reform  Association  is  endeavoring  to  bring  about  the  above  re- 
form in  our  national,  State,  and  city  governments,  and  invites  all  patriotic  citizens  to 
jom  Its  numbers  and  assist  in  purifying  our  politics  and  improving  our  Civil  Service, 

Annual  dues  for  Membership,  $2. 

For  in/brtnaiion  and  pamphlets  address 

WILLIAM  POTTS,  Secretary, 

CIVIL-SERVICE    REFORM    ASSOCIATION, 

44  Pine  Street,  New  York  City. 


PRESIDENT. 

GEORGE  WILLIAM   CURTIS. 

VICE-PRESIDENTS. 
BENJ.    H.    BRISTOW,  GEO.    B.    MCCLELLAN, 

HOWARD   POTTER,  JOHN   JAY, 

ROSWELL   D.    HITCHCOCK,  ROBERT   B.    MINTURN, 

OSWALD   OTTENDORFER,  GEORGE   B.   BUTLER. 

TREASURES. 

JOHN   C.    ENO. 

SECRETARY. 

WILLIAM    POTTS, 

44    PINE    STREET,    NEW   YORK. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

EVERETT  p.  WHEELER.  Chairman, 

HENRY   W.   BELLOWS,  CHAS.    H.    MARSHALL, 

SILAS   W.    BURT,  GEO.    HAVEN   PUTNAM, 

EDWARD   GARY,  WM.   GARY   SANGER, 

CHARLES   COLLINS,  ANSON    PHELPS   STOKES, 

DORMAN   B.    EATON,  HENRY   STONE, 

ELIAL   F.    HALL,  WM.    H.   THOMSON, 
CHARLES  D.  INGERSOLL,  FREDERICK   W.   WHITRIDGE. 

PUBLICATION  COMMITTEE. 
E.    L.    GODKIN,    Chairman, 

GEO.   WILLIAM   CURTIS,  A.    R.    MACDONOUGH, 

HORACE   WHITE,  CARL   SCHURZ. 

COMMITTEE  ON  LEGISLATION. 
DORMAN  B.  EATON,  Chairman, 

EVERETT   P.    WHEELER,  ORLANDO   B.    POTTER. 

AUDITING    COMMITTEE. 

GEO.  B.  BUTLER,  Chairman,  ELIAL  F.   HALL. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE, 

IRA   BURSLEY,  ORLANDO   B.    POTTER, 

THOMAS   B.    MUSGRAVE,  JNO.   C.   ENO. 

COMMITTEE    ON    AFFILIATED   SOCIETIES. 
GEO.  W.  VAN  SICLEN,  Chairman, 

CHAS.   D.    INGERSOLL,  FREDERICK   W.   WHITRIDGE. 


